Celebrating 75 Years of Belonging, Roosevelt University

Seventy-five years ago, Roosevelt University’s founders had the guts to go against the norms of inclusion.

That spring, the board of the YMCA College had demanded demographic data about its students. The board planned to use the data to restrict how many black, Jewish and women students were admitted.

Outraged, staff and faculty members quit their jobs and students left their classes on April 24, 1945. Together, they walked out to create a new kind of university.

Seventy-five years later, Roosevelt University stands unwavering as a place where everyone can belong.

What would you walk out for today?

Join our virtual 75th anniversary celebration on social media.

  1. Record a short video or write a post about the issues or causes you’d walk out for today.
  2. Tag us @RooseveltU with the hashtag #75YearsOfRU. 

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Howard Rosenberg stood patiently in line at Navy Pier in Chicago on a cold February day in 1947. A month removed from the U.S. Army, he awaited registration for the new (now defunct) branch of the University of Illinois at Navy Pier, ready to begin his education.

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As a pioneering higher education institution in diversity, inclusion and social justice, Roosevelt University has a celebrated history of renowned African American students, faculty and alumni. As we acknowledge Black History Month, we take pride in the impact that our African American alumni have made in their professional fields, as well as their local and global communities. Representing each day of this inspiring month of black history, the following alumni are only 28 of the many respected and accomplished African American Roosevelt alumni.

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